New(er) Ways to Read

When e-books were first introduced a couple of years ago, we creatures of habit found we preferred reading words printed on white pulp. Even those willing to read on-screen were less than enthusiastic, because of the limited number of titles in digital format. As a result, the first round of e-books silently went into chrysalis.

Stephen King's e-novella Riding the Bullet helped bring e-books into the spotlight again. Most of the title's half-million downloads were in a secure PDF format readable using Glassbook, a free Microsoft Windows application. Now Glassbook is back, under new ownership. The latest version, Adobe Acrobat eBook Reader Plus Version 2.0, maintains the original's philosophy: that computers are getting more portable and that e-book software will add a new dimension to them.

A hardware product has also been reincarnated by a new company. The new RCA REB1100 eBook takes some design elements from the first dedicated e-book, Nuvomedia's Rocket eBook. About the size of a trade paperback and the weight of a light hardcover (18 ounces), the RCA e-book is a lot more portable. But how do these offerings rate in providing a reading experience?

Some complain that reading on-screen doesn't seem like reading a book. Adobe captures the look of print wonderfully, though: Pages are laid out with right justification, paragraph indents, and attractive fonts. We were less pleased with the Gemstar format used by the REB1100, which is similar to the Nuvomedia format. Pages look like e-mail printouts: no right justification, no indents, and a blank line to separate paragraphs rather than indicating a story break. Worse, the REB1100 uses a sans serif font, which can be hard on the eyes after long periods of reading.

Both are as easy to use as paper books. The UI of Acrobat eBook Reader is intuitive; it displays your library as a grid of covers. Double-clicking on a title for the first time fills the program window with the book's cover, usually in full color. You can turn pages forward and back by either clicking on icons or hitting cursor keys, or even using the spacebar and the backspace key. When you shut down, the software remembers the last page you read and returns you there. The REB1100 also keeps your place in a title.

You can customize the Adobe pages by using icons that allow you to zoom in or out and to sharpen text. Unlike Microsoft's ClearType, the Sharpen Text feature displays crisp type on CRTs as well as on LCDs. There's also a handy two-page view, perfect for art-heavy titles. The REB1100 allows you to increase to a large font size, which, combined with the backlit screen, is excellent for reading in bed at night. Unfortunately, the lack of right justification is more evident when the fonts get bigger.

Acrobat titles and the accompanying software can be lent or given to others. When you do so, you cannot access the e-book until the period of time that you have specified elapses. Likewise, the recipient can read the book only for the set period. You may not get a paper book back, but you'll always get your e-books returnedunless you use the Give feature. The RCA format does not support sharing.

To get new content for the Adobe software, you click on Bookstore whenever your PC is connected to the Internet. The application then becomes a simple browser that lets you shop. You don't need a computer to use the REB1100; the device comes with a built-in 33.6-Kbps modem. The REB1100 downloads the e-catalogs of your choice, such as Mysteries or Science Fiction. You then click on the books you want and place an order. The REB1100 submits the order, securely transmits your credit card information, and lets you download your books. Our test novel, Angels and Demons, took about 3 minutes. You can also use the included USB cable to attach the REB1100 to an Internet-connected computer and use the included Librarian software to shop.

Unfortunately, e-book title selection is limited for all formats. As of now, the offerings in Adobe and Gemstar formats are recent best-sellers and popular genre titles.

E-book prices are comparable to those of their paper counterparts, with typical online discounts. But there's also an initial $300 outlay to get the RCA device. The basic version of the Adobe Reader is free. The Plus Version, which includes sharing features and The American Heritage Dictionary, costs $40. The REB1100 has a built-in dictionary with word lookup.

Neither reader is perfect. The REB1100 is convenient to carry and has a terrific screen; we wish Gemstar would work on the format to make it more like Adobe's. But Adobe's beautiful pages aren't nearly as portable as the REB1100. Considering these trade-offs, we have to rate the offerings as being equal. Add a star to each if you're ready to give up a musty old hardcover and don't mind the lack of available backlist e-titles.

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Automatic Renewal Program: Your subscription will continue without interruption for as long as you wish, unless
you instruct us otherwise. Your subscription will automatically renew at the end of the term unless you authorize
cancellation. Each year, you'll receive a notice and you authorize that your credit/debit card will be charged the
annual subscription rate(s). You may cancel at any time during your subscription and receive a full refund on all
unsent issues. If your credit/debit card or other billing method can not be charged, we will bill you directly instead. Contact Customer Service